Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Veneer Drying
Doug Reynolds
I understand veneer logs are soaked in very hot water for some time before they are sliced. Once sliced, how is the veneer dried? Air dried? Kiln dried?
I have some 1/16" sapelle veneer left over from a furniture project and I want to make some Shaker oval boxes. John Wilson says the veneer needs to be air dried to reduce splitting. Is there anyway to tell how my veneer was dried short of a "destruction" test?
Thanks, Doug
Re: Veneer Drying
Don Stephan
Veneer mills are definitely production oriented, so I would be very surprised if any mill allowed the extra time for air drying. I've always been told that after slicing the veneer is kiln dried.
More of a dryer than a kiln *LINK*
Dick Coers
The veneer sheets always remain in the natural order as they emerge such that all parts of the original log are kept together. One by one the slices of veneer carefully enter the dryer, where they are dried evenly within a few minutes. Air temperature of up to 320°F at high velocity is blasted on the surface. The veneer must be dried in such a way that it has at least 8-12% of moisture content.
Pretty easy to hot soak a little piece to see if it gets flexible enough.
https://gharpedia.com/manufacturing-process-of-wood-veneer/
Re: Veneer Drying
jesse cloud
You can (probably must) soften the old veneer with glycerin or other products.
joewoodworker.com has good tutorials on how to do this.
Re: Veneer Drying
McKay Sleight
A friend of mine teaches High School and makes tons of shaker boxes. He only soaks them in a shop made heated copper trough. He heats it using an apartment type stove unit. Beautiful boxes and this is one that even beginners are able to do.